Court frees convicted rapist after ‘agreement’ to marry his victim
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A court in Pakistan on Monday freed a convicted rapist after he said he was marrying his victim. This has angered human rights activists, who say the decision risks normalizing sexual violence in the country.
According to his lawyer, Amjad Ali Khan, Daulat Khan, 23, was convicted in May of raping a 36-year-old deaf woman in 2020 in the northeastern district of Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment and fined 100,000 rupees (about $440.
The woman later gave birth to a child as a result of the rape.
On Monday, Peshawar’s High Court acquitted Daulat Khan after he legally married the victim in December following an out-of-court settlement by the local jirga, a council of elderly men who make decisions based on Sharia law.
Sharia, also known as Islamic law, is an interpretation of the sacred texts and traditions of a faith that varies greatly in the Muslim world.
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